I absolutely loathe the NBA embracing gambling the way they have, and especially prop betting... this always seemed like an inevitable outcome that it would happen at some point. NBA teams already do so many subtle injury-management related things behind the scenes... it's not unthinkable for a team (especially a tanking team like the Raptors) to say to Porter, 'yeah, we're going to play you a little tonight but if you're feeling that injury even a tiny bit, we're going to sit you', and for that player to mention that to someone in his entourage and say that he expects to only play a few minutes without thinking about the betting implications, and for that person to make a bet themselves or relay it to someone who's in the market for tips.
I'm not saying that happened here... Porter being knowing of it seems more likely, but I am saying the scenario above likely happens frequently already. I'd be shocked that this is the first time this has actually happened... Porter being a fringe-enough player that the betting patterns really stand out, plus the league being happy to make an example of him in a way that they wouldn't with a star player. Usually (like with drug-related offenses) the NBA has non-public warnings first because they are desperate to keep their image as clean as possible.
Hell, it wouldn't be hard for someone with the right connections to figure out many of the young women who are in the periphery of NBA player circles and are in that for their own financial self-interest, and make it known that you're in the market for any tips related to player availability and health and that you'll cut them in on any profit from successful tips.
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